2020 Grand Final Richmond vs Geelong

[Clark_Griswold]

@frosty

The entire AFL has been hypnotised by the bullsht. We’re not watching football.

This. I only watched 5% of the grand final because I can’t bear to watch a match featuring Richmond.

I first noticed it in mid-2017, sitting live at the MCG (I can’t remember who was Richmond’s opponent, but it wasn’t Essendon)…anyway, I was alarmed by the grubby rule-stretching defensive tactics.

I have since written repeatedly about it, and I believe it is fundamental to their rise, but to save myself retyping, I’ll just selectively quote myself from February 2018, after our JLT match, because I was already fed up with it back then:

@Clark_Griswold

Sadly, yesterday’s match just reiterated what I felt after the grand final…that Richmond’s rise reflects a decay of the spectacle that is AFL football.

It’s a contact sport, but Richmond have exploited that by taking their defensive scragging and body-spoiling to the limit. Compare the free kick against Brown in the goal square for an inconsequential hand, versus the play on call when Long is in a full length body spoil sandwich. That’s what defence has become, off-the-ball body checking…

And offensively, Richmond do nothing spectacular, other than run, pressure, tackle. Just maintain higher tempo than your opponent. It leads to turnovers and overlapping waves of players. Not sophisticated, but effective…

I’m going to finish on a tangent…but the more I ponder it these days, I am feeling that top level soccer is overtaking AFL in terms of entertainment. The speed and attacking and scoring in soccer has increased over the last 20 years. And the rules allow the skilful players the space with the ball to show off their skills. The display of soccer is getting better. AFL is deteriorating, as the marking player is bullocked out of the game etc.

I’m actually of the opinion that AFL has been ‘cracked’ as a sport now…it’s past it’s peak, and will only get worse.